KLR250 thread

[ECDLTF]

Thanks for the reply. I'm going to look for a service manual and see if I can do some of the maintenance myself. I'm just getting the hang of the kick starter. I had a hard time starting it today, but after re-reading the owners manual and giving it full throttle as it stated, it started right up. When it runs low on gas, will the engine cut out and require turning the fuel lever to the reserve position? I have to get some new tires as it still has the original tires. Thanks again. Have a good evening.

Originally Posted by Birdmove

I rode a 2001 KLR250 for something over 10,000 miles. It was a fine dual sport. I commuted and took it off road.I never modded it at all. I carried stuff in a tank bag and enjoyed the heck out of the bike.

Oil changes were quite easy as I recall. I checked and adjusted the valves a few times. It wasn't too tough having screw type adjusters. I had a service manual, and I remember it left out a few things in describing the procedure. As I recall, I had to unbolt a cooling fan and let it dangle by the wires. And there was a kind of a double triangle shaped bracket with three bolt holes in each half that had to be removed-no big deal.

I bought the KLR250 specifically because it had a kick starter.I gad owned quite a few dual sports over many years and they all had kick starters. The 250 started so easily that I never regretted it.My KLR250 could sit for six weeks in the winter, and fire off with a single kick as long as I used the starting procedure that the bike liked.

jon

[Birdmove]

Originally Posted by ECDLTF

Thanks for the reply. I'm going to look for a service manual and see if I can do some of the maintenance myself. I'm just getting the hang of the kick starter. I had a hard time starting it today, but after re-reading the owners manual and giving it full throttle as it stated, it started right up. When it runs low on gas, will the engine cut out and require turning the fuel lever to the reserve position? I have to get some new tires as it still has the original tires. Thanks again. Have a good evening.

I never used full throttle on mine. Here's my starting procedure when the bike sat at least overnight or even for six weeks. Since both my KLR250 and later KLR650 both had the problem of the clutch plates sticking together every time it sat overnight or longer, I would first free them up by putting the bike in 1st gear, holding the clutch lever in and then sitting on the bike and push it slightly forwards and backwards until the clutch plates would unstick.then:

1.Leave the key turned off.
2.Turn on the gas petcock.
3.Give it full choke.
4.With no throttle and key still turned off, give it 3-4 kicks just to get the fuel flowing.
5.Turn key on.
6.With no throttle, give it a kick. This is when mine would always fire off for me.

Yes, you want to ride with the fuel valve in the "on" position.It will start to sputter when it's time to go to reserve. But I almost never run any bike that far before filling up. I would caution you to try to run the bike on reserve first before you rely on this system, because sometimes a bike might have a problem and reserve may not function. You want to test it and find out beforehand rather than running the main tank out, turning it to reserve and finding out on some dark lonely road that tour reserve doesn't work.

You can also check into replacing your own tires in your garage rather than paying a shop to do it. I replaced both tires on my KLR650 by myself in my garage with three tire irons, some Windex and talcum powder. It's a good skill to acquire, especially if you are going off road, or planning on taking some longer trips on your KLR.Somehow I've never pinched a tube when I've replaced my own tires, or fixed a flat.

And don't let anyone tell you that you can't take camping trips riding your KLR250!! If you plan your route using back roads (they are more fun anyway) that bike can take you a long way.A tank bag,some bungy cords,maybe some soft throw over saddlebags, a tent, sleeping bag, etc, and your good to go.The gas mileage is great too.But make sure you rack up some miles closer to home to see how your butt gets along with the seat, and check the comfort on all day rides.

My dual sport right now is a Yamaha XT225, and I'm planning on some 2-4 day trips later when the weather gets better.My XT gets better gas mileage than my KLR250 did, but the KLR was faster.

Take care, Jon on Puyallup, Wa.

[ECDLTF]

I appreciate the tips on starting, tire changing, gas, and camping with a KLR. I'm going to try your starting technique next time I go riding. It rained today, and I couldn't got riding. I'm going on short trips as I'm getting the hang of riding little by little. I'll probably take the motorcycle safety course later this month. Thanks again and have a good evening.

Regards

Originally Posted by Birdmove

I never used full throttle on mine. Here's my starting procedure when the bike sat at least overnight or even for six weeks. Since both my KLR250 and later KLR650 both had the problem of the clutch plates sticking together every time it sat overnight or longer, I would first free them up by putting the bike in 1st gear, holding the clutch lever in and then sitting on the bike and push it slightly forwards and backwards until the clutch plates would unstick.then:

1.Leave the key turned off.
2.Turn on the gas petcock.
3.Give it full choke.
4.With no throttle and key still turned off, give it 3-4 kicks just to get the fuel flowing.
5.Turn key on.
6.With no throttle, give it a kick. This is when mine would always fire off for me.

Yes, you want to ride with the fuel valve in the "on" position.It will start to sputter when it's time to go to reserve. But I almost never run any bike that far before filling up. I would caution you to try to run the bike on reserve first before you rely on this system, because sometimes a bike might have a problem and reserve may not function. You want to test it and find out beforehand rather than running the main tank out, turning it to reserve and finding out on some dark lonely road that tour reserve doesn't work.

You can also check into replacing your own tires in your garage rather than paying a shop to do it. I replaced both tires on my KLR650 by myself in my garage with three tire irons, some Windex and talcum powder. It's a good skill to acquire, especially if you are going off road, or planning on taking some longer trips on your KLR.Somehow I've never pinched a tube when I've replaced my own tires, or fixed a flat.

And don't let anyone tell you that you can't take camping trips riding your KLR250!! If you plan your route using back roads (they are more fun anyway) that bike can take you a long way.A tank bag,some bungy cords,maybe some soft throw over saddlebags, a tent, sleeping bag, etc, and your good to go.The gas mileage is great too.But make sure you rack up some miles closer to home to see how your butt gets along with the seat, and check the comfort on all day rides.

My dual sport right now is a Yamaha XT225, and I'm planning on some 2-4 day trips later when the weather gets better.My XT gets better gas mileage than my KLR250 did, but the KLR was faster.

Take care, Jon on Puyallup, Wa.

[Hannda]

Originally Posted by ECDLTF

Thanks for the reply. I'm going to look for a service manual and see if I can do some of the maintenance myself. I'm just getting the hang of the kick starter. I had a hard time starting it today, but after re-reading the owners manual and giving it full throttle as it stated, it started right up. When it runs low on gas, will the engine cut out and require turning the fuel lever to the reserve position? I have to get some new tires as it still has the original tires. Thanks again. Have a good evening.

It turns out that the last time I had a hard time starting our KLR250 was because the valves needed to be adjusted. They were closed up tight. Had them adjusted and it started easily. If you're going to do some maintenance . . . . . you might want to check your valves.

[Jeremiah]

I've had the KLR250 for 2 years with over 7500 miles +1 on the checking valves- it is not a major deal but DO IT! If this bike has a weak link the valves are it. Check em regularly and you will have very few problems -
don't and you will not be happy.
Tank bag, saddle bags and a home made luggage rack and I can go away for a week. The seat is the limiting factor I really need to do something to make it better for all day riding.

Welcome and enjoy your new ride!

[wsdbikes]

Surplus store-$20.00
Drill 4 holes and there you go.

provides a ton of storage and a platform to carry other stuff.









__________________

[ECDLTF]

Thanks for the tips regarding the adjusting the valves. How difficult is it for a novice? The bike has 1600 miles on it and is in very good condition. The starting issue is probably due to my lack of experience as I'm new to this bike and riding in general. Have often does it have to be done? Thanks again.

Originally Posted by Jeremiah

I've had the KLR250 for 2 years with over 7500 miles +1 on the checking valves- it is not a major deal but DO IT! If this bike has a weak link the valves are it. Check em regularly and you will have very few problems -
don't and you will not be happy.
Tank bag, saddle bags and a home made luggage rack and I can go away for a week. The seat is the limiting factor I really need to do something to make it better for all day riding.

Welcome and enjoy your new ride!

[1994klr250]

Originally Posted by Valentino Magoo

I just picked up an 03 KLR 250, which has only minor tweaks to get on the trails. First thing I gotta get is a real skid plate.
I saw this one: http://69.94.125.252/store/page145.html
...but kinda expected/hoped to get a little more over the water pump area.

Suggestions?

The Ricochet skid plate offers much more protection vs the stock skid plate, I've had mine for about 1 year on my bike. It covers the entire bottom side of the engine and has some large ears that extend out on each side to protect the water pump. Turbo city has one but the price is almost 3 times that of the ricochet skid plate. http://www.turbocity.com/product_inf...roducts_id=691

For the price and protection the ricochet offers its a great deal. Here's some pictures.

[1994klr250]

Originally Posted by ECDLTF

Thanks for the tips regarding the adjusting the valves. How difficult is it for a novice? The bike has 1600 miles on it and is in very good condition. The starting issue is probably due to my lack of experience as I'm new to this bike and riding in general. Have often does it have to be done? Thanks again.

The valve adjustment shouldn't be a problem for a novice just a few basic hand tools and a few hours. The service manual shows every 3,000 miles they should be checked. I check mine every year in the spring so I know I'm good for the rest of the year. Bottom half of this page shows how to check the valves http://home.earthlink.net/~klr250inf...ge/toolkit.htm

[ECDLTF]

It has 1600 miles right now. I think that I'll wait a little longer before I take on the valve adjustment job. Thanks for the help and the link. Have a good evening.

Originally Posted by 1994klr250

The valve adjustment shouldn't be a problem for a novice just a few basic hand tools and a few hours. The service manual shows every 3,000 miles they should be checked. I check mine every year in the spring so I know I'm good for the rest of the year. Bottom half of this page shows how to check the valves http://home.earthlink.net/~klr250inf...ge/toolkit.htm

[BerndM]

Originally Posted by dfc

I am working on my "new to me" '86 250. Here is a shot of the swingarm inverted. there appears to be a large amount of play in the linkage. None of the fiche or manuals show a missing spacer, anybody care to take a look at their linkage for a comparison?

Here is a shot of my 1986 KLR250. All stock parts, never been apart.

[Gvilleracer]

Hey everyone, I'm new to the KLR250 crowd.
Picked this up on Sunday off Craigslist. Started to regret it.... So me and a freind tore it down.
Now the re-build begins.

Mechanically and electrically, I think we lucked out; but, asthetically, this thing must have sat at the bottom of an ocean!

looks good from a distance


BUt on closer inspection.












Two beers after taking the above photos.......


There is my freind, Cam, this is our first DS re-build. So we wanted to start with an easy one, hope we did. We will try to keep updates coming as we sort the bikes issues!

[MudWalker]

Originally Posted by 1994klr250

The Ricochet skid plate offers much more protection vs the stock skid plate, I've had mine for about 1 year on my bike. It covers the entire bottom side of the engine and has some large ears that extend out on each side to protect the water pump. Turbo city has one but the price is almost 3 times that of the ricochet skid plate. http://www.turbocity.com/product_inf...roducts_id=691

For the price and protection the ricochet offers its a great deal. Here's some pictures.

This is what my KLR250 looks like most of the time I have owned it, now 10 years....wow time flies. I have put over 7000 miles of off road work on the poor thing and I just can't seem to break it. It's old technology yes but it is a very effective tool when climbing around in the woods. It will go for road rides as well although I'm not sure it's happy going fast.

If you can get a good running one, buy it, mine has never let me down.

[wsdbikes]

Looked about right for a good KLR . I assume it wasnt actually running thus, tearing it down?

Originally Posted by Gvilleracer

Hey everyone, I'm new to the KLR250 crowd.
Picked this up on Sunday off Craigslist. Started to regret it.... So me and a freind tore it down.
Now the re-build begins.

Mechanically and electrically, I think we lucked out; but, asthetically, this thing must have sat at the bottom of an ocean!

looks good from a distance

There is my freind, Cam, this is our first DS re-build. So we wanted to start with an easy one, hope we did. We will try to keep updates coming as we sort the bikes issues!

[XDragRacer]

Originally Posted by Valentino Magoo

First thing I gotta get is a real skid plate.

Suggestions?

Check Post # 49 above; Utah Sport Cycle, same as otherwise-branded bash plates . . .

I elongated the oil drain hole on mine for more direct draining into the catch pan and less onto the bash plate: